Live Stats  |  Slippery Rock Roster  |  Aquinas Roster  |  American International Roster
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.- The Slippery Rock University field hockey team will open its 2016 season with a pair of non-conference games this weekend against Saint Thomas Aquinas College and American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts on the campus of AIC.
 
SRU begins the weekend with a neutral-site contest 5 p.m. Saturday against Saint Thomas Aquinas before playing a true away game 1 p.m. Sunday against American International.
 
GAME 1 DETAILS
Opponent: Saint Thomas Aquinas College
Date: Saturday, Sept. 3 – 5 p.m.
Location: Ronald J. Abdow Field  |  Springfield, Massachusetts
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saturdays meeting will be the first game between Saint Thomas Aquinas and Slippery Rock.
 
GAME 2 DETAILS
Opponent: American International College
Date: Sunday, Sept. 4 – 1 p.m.
Location: Ronald J. Abdow Field  |  Springfield, Massachusetts
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: Slippery Rock leads 4-2
Last Played: Sept. 7, 2015 (Slippery Rock won 4-1 at SRU)
 
LAST MEETING
Slippery Rock jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and never looked back en route to a 4-1 victory over the Yellow Jackets on Sept. 7, 2015. SRU received goals from Megan Kane, Alyssa Castle, Megan McKay and Kailee Krupski. McKay also assisted on one goal.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Slippery Rock holds a 4-2 record against American International all-time and has never lost to the Yellow Jackets when the contest has been played in Springfield, Massachusetts.
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
2015 Record: 6-12
2015 PSAC Record: 2-8 (ninth place)
2015 Home Record: 4-6
2015 Away Record: 1-6
2015 Neutral Site Record: 1-0
2016 Preseason Poll: Picked to finish ninth in the PSAC
Head Coach: Julie Swiney  |  Seventh season at SRU (41-71)  |  10th season overall (55-113)
 
SCOUTING THE ROCK
Slippery Rock returns six starters and 18 players overall from a season ago including 2015 All-America honoree Megan McKay.
 
McKay ranked fourth in the PSAC in goals scored in 2015 with 16 and enters her senior season as SRU's all-time leader in career points with 55. She also ranks third in career goals with 22, three shy of Marlene Hall's (1985-88) school record of 25.
 
Slippery Rock also brings back three others who ranked in the team's top five goal scorers a year ago in Kailee Krupski (seven goals), Alyssa Castle (three goals) and Allison Grant (two goals).
 
Renee Rosenblum and Michelle Couch were tied for second on the team last year in assists behind McKay, who setup a team-best six goals, with three apiece. Couch will make the move to defender this season after compiling five goals and six assists in her first two collegiate seasons as a forward/midfielder. 
 
The Slippery Rock defensive unit is returning five players including Kayla Mack who started all 18 games as a sophomore and ranked 11th in the nation in defensive saves with five. Mack's five defensive saves were the sixth most in a single-season in program history.
 
Fellow defender Liz Wolfe also made one defensive save as a freshman in 2015.
 
The Rock also returns Nicole Bream who will look to be a force in goal. Bream appeared in five games for SRU in 2015 as a reserve and made 10 saves while allowing just three goals in 109:43 minutes of playing time.
 
Head coach Julie Swiney enters 2016 ranked second in Rock history in career wins with 41. Swiney, the 2012 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division Coach of the Year, is the only coach in Rock history to have won at least six games every season she has been with the program.
 
Slippery Rock is 2-2 in its last four season-openers.

NEXT FIVE GAMES
Sept. 6 (4 p.m.) vs. Seton Hill
Sept. 10 (12 p.m.) at No. 9 Kutztown
Sept. 14 (4 p.m.) vs. No. 2 Millersville
Sept. 17 (12 p.m.) vs. Bellarmine
Sept. 20 (4 p.m.) at No. 8 Bloomsburg
 
SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS PRIMER
2015 Record: 1-14
2015 Home Record: 0-5
2015 Away Record: 1-9
2015 Neutral Site Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Laurie Mayernik  |  Second season at STAC (1-14)
 
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
The Spartans come into 2016 after completing their first official season of collegiate field hockey with a 1-14 record in 2015.
 
Saint Thomas Aquinas returns all but one player from its 2015 field hockey roster.
 
Returning at forward for the Spartans will be sophomore Carley Davin, who recorded nine total points last season with three goals and three assists.
 
Sarah Quarto was Saint Thomas Aquinas' other multi-goal scorer a year ago; she converted a pair of goals.
 
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PRIMER
2015 Record: 4-14
2015 NE-10 Record: 2-10
2015 Home Record: 2-6
2015 Away Record: 2-8
2015 Neutral Site Record: 0-0
2016 Preseason Poll: Picked to finish eighth in the Northeast-10
Head Coach: Ashley Mazzoli  |  Third season at AIC (16-22)
 
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
The Yellow Jackets return four seniors to the roster including Taylor Ruscillo, who was AIC's leading goal scorer in 2015 as well as tying for second on the team in total points scored in 2015 with 15 off of six goals and three assists.
 
Emma Heroth (three goals, three assists in 2015) and Liv Magni (three goals, two assists) are American International's other top two offensive threats.
 
Goalkeeper Taylor Ross is also back for the season after a 2015 freshman campaign that included 111 saves, a 2.60 goals against average and a .766 save percentage.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock begins the home portion of its 2016 schedule 4 p.m. Sept. 6 against Seton Hill University at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.